In addition to being the world’s most important global hub, thanks to İGART, iGA Istanbul Airport has reached yet another crucial milestone towards becoming an international art centre. “Saya’s Voice” by Betül Kotil, the finalist of the İGART Art Projects Competition, met with its audience at iGA Istanbul Airport, determined to become a centre of art and culture in Türkiye. For the first time, a public space of such amplitude in Türkiye has been made available for the creative worlds of young artists.
Under the chairmanship of Prof. Hüsamettin Koçan, as a result of the diligent work of board members Prof. Gülveli KAYA, Prof. Marcus GRAF, Nazlı PEKTAŞ, Murat TABANLIOĞLU, Deniz ODABAŞ, Mehmet Ali Güveli, and the jury members, sculptor Seyhun TOPUZ and Seçkin PİRİM and also Turkish Design Council, all of whom are our country’s notable names in their fields, the first course of the İGART Art Projects series, designed as a project also, has come to an end with installation.
As a tribute to the Republic’s 100th Anniversary, 1923 bells have been used. Aiming to incorporate the identity of Istanbul, immersed in different cultures and art, with the cultural memory of Anatolia, the first of the İGART Art Projects Contest Series received 221 projects. The İGART Art Projects Contest with a 1 million TRY prize, Türkiye’s most significant art contest award ever given will also be a remarkable example for other projects to take place in public places in our country. “Saya’s Voice”, containing 1923 bells as a tribute to the Republic’s Centenary, is waiting for its visitors under the Viaduct at the underground exit of the iGA Istanbul Airport.
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New artworks in sixteen additional areas will be exhibited
Stating that, as the region’s most important international hub, they had taken a significant step in terms of culture and art activities by setting up İGART in line with their building bridges between peoples and cultures, iGA Istanbul Airport CEO Kadri Samsunlu, announced that they would ensure the sustainability of these contests by initiating 16 more contests through İGART in different locations. Samsunlu continued: “We host thousands of guests at our airport every day, and we care about transforming their visit into an experience. We are happy to be presenting this experience through text, photographs, and videos straight into the passengers’ pockets as a gift to them through İGART. We always highlight that iGA Istanbul Airport is Türkiye’s gateway opening to the world. We can now say that iGA Istanbul Airport is also Türkiye’s gateway to the world in terms of culture and art from now on… From this day forward, Saya’s Voice will reach the whole world from Istanbul.”
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İGART has taken its place on the Turkish contemporary art scene
Having stated that İGART Art Projects Contests were about creating space for young people through its specifications, reviewing criteria, application methods, and the award’s amount, Prof. Hüsamettin KOÇAN, the chairman of the İGART Executive Board , emphasised that this event would have a place in the history of Turkish contemporary art and set an example with its content in years to come. “İGART Art Projects Contest has a structure that opens space for the youth and embraces participants and diversity. The submitted projects were reviewed for our contest by our board of experienced art professionals in an impartial setting toward everyone. It is worth emphasising that the contest was designed to prioritise the artist’s presentation methods. Out of a wide variety of projects submitted to us, our jury unanimously tuned in for Saya’s Voice. Koçan stated that the project’s link to the cultural memory in Anatolia, in addition to having been created by a young artist, was one of the main reasons for their choice. He added, “another reason for choosing Saya’s Voice was the aesthetic connection it built with the size of the venue by blending into the architecture.”
“Saya’s Voice has been a project I had on my mind, searching for its place for a while. It found its place thanks to iGA Istanbul Airport and İGART”. When I found out that I had won, I said Saya was a voice of ours. I am delighted to be able to have our guests hear Saya’s Voice here today,” artist Betül Kotil said.
